Iron Man 3 – A Possible Plotline of "Extremis" Proportions

Already we know that Iron Man 3 will take on elements of the “Extremis” storyline from Marvel Comics based on character information; specifically Aldrich Killian and Maya Hansen, who will be played by Guy Pearce and Rebecca Hall respectively. “Extremis” was a reboot of the Iron Man origin story that is already integrated within the Iron Man movies. In “Extremis”, Tony Stark was abducted in a similar manner to the first Iron Man movie; Ho Yinsen also makes an appearance in both the comics and the movie. In Iron Man 2, Stark was forced to find a solution to the poisoning from the arc reactor, just as in the “Extremis” storyline.

On October 22, the first trailer for the anticipated Iron Man 3 debuted on the internet. Visually striking and engaging, the trailer did a great job in amping up the excitement for the movie. Beneath the surface, however, therein lies clues to the storyline of the movie. For those that are not well versed in the comic book mythos of Iron Man, let’s take a look at some of the implications made by the trailer.

One of the first snippets we are shown is Stark summoning a part of his suit without a verbal command, nor the bracelets from The Avengers. In “Extremis”, Stark gets exposed to Extremis, referred to in the story as a “virus”. Essentially, it is a super-soldier replacement for the lost super-soldier serum. The virus essentially remakes the body into a stronger, seemingly better version. Stark is able to manipulate the effects of Extremis into giving him the ability to interface with machines—especially his suit.

We also see Don Cheadle reprising his role as Colonel James Rhodes or War Machine, albeit in a red-and-blue themed suit. The suit resembles Iron Patriot, an alter ego of Norman Osborn. Osborn, in this storyline, took over S.H.I.E.L.D. by repelling an extraterrestrial invasion and keeps in the good of the public by keeping them safe with his own superhero team. It is doubtful that Osborn will make an appearance in Iron Man 3, so it is safe to say that there’s some other reason for War Machine’s sudden patriotism.

The last, and most crucial, aspect of the trailer to note is the enigmatic villain with the ten rings. Did you catch that? The Ten Rings was the name of the criminal organization that abducted Tony Stark in the first movie, which was a reference to the villain The Mandarin. Ben Kingsley will portray this antagonist of Iron Man 3. The Mandarin is one of Iron Man’s most dangerous villains, possessing a genius intellect and ten rings powered by science of his own design from extraterrestrial forces that give him fantastic powers.

From this information, we can speculate a storyline. In the aftermath of The Avengers, the Extremis virus will be compromised, perhaps by The Mandarin himself. This leads Stark to reevaluate his position as Iron Man after being successfully beaten by The Mandarin, as seen when his home is bombarded and suits destroyed. After Stark takes a leave of absence, War Machine will have to take his place, donning a new, more striking costume. After Stark learns more about the virus, after his initial attempts before in the trailer, and goes through an emotional journey, he comes back to save the day and defeats the Mandarin.

Of course, all of this is speculation. What do you think will happen in Iron Man 3?